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Why don't bananas have seeds?

When was the last time you bit into a banana and chomped down on a hard seed? Chances are it’s never happened to you! If all fruits have seeds, then what about bananas? Bananas actually do have seeds! In fact, the hard seeds of wild bananas make it difficult for the fruit to be eaten! But over time, people have learned to grow bananas with much smaller seeds seeds so small we don’t notice them while we eat this yellow fruit!

Because these seeds are so tiny, they are not able to help make more bananas. In other words, they can’t be scattered easily like the larger seeds of other fruits. Therefore, to grow new banana plants, people replant cuttings, or pieces of original banana plants, so they can grow and develop new roots and stems, resulting in more bananas for all!

Some people think growing bananas in this way has made them less able to fight off pests and disease. If this is the case, scientists will have to work extra hard to find ways to protect our banana supply and ensure that we can continue to enjoy this tasty fruit!

Further information

You are probably most familiar with yellow Cavendish bananas, which are sweet. But did you know there is a type of cooking banana called the plantain? These bananas are starchy rather than sweet, and they are often boiled or fried before eaten, sometimes even sweetened with sugar!